


the child.

by stardustgirl



Series: Whumptober 2018 [13]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: But it really takes place BEFORE Clone Wars so, Clan Bralor - Freeform, Concordia - Freeform, F/M, Gen, I tagged this as Clone Wars, Mandalore, Mandalorian Adoption, Mandalorian Culture, Mando'a, Orphan - Freeform, POV Original Character, Pre-Canon, Pre-Series, Satine doesn't look like a hero to anyone who isn't a New Mandalorian, War Orphan, Whumptober, Whumptober 2018, blood warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 22:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16355726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustgirl/pseuds/stardustgirl
Summary: She moved to an angle from which she could see the inside of the gap, turning her gauntlet’s scopelight on.A chill rose along the back of her neck.|~~~|While on an abandoned freighter, Emme and Branok find a lone survivor of an attack.(Previously titled “yaim.,” which translates to “home” in Mando’a.)(Pre-fic Oneshot for "Karbakar")





	the child.

**Author's Note:**

> There's definitely going to be a continuation of this....
> 
> Whumptober Prompts: Stabbed, Bloody Hands
> 
> TW: Blood

Emme raised a hand, the warriors behind her halting.  She continued forward slowly, glancing around at the ship.  Blasterfire had scored the walls around her, and she noticed a few droplets of blood on the gray durasteel floor.

She rounded a corner and froze.  “Branok,” she called quietly.

She heard the man approach from behind, rounding the corner and stopping just behind her shoulder.

“ _Osi’kyr,_ ” he murmured.

There were two bodies ahead of them, one in the cockpit, partially obscured by the half-open blast door the other had fallen into.  Blaster marks surrounded both corpses, though the one closest looked like he had been stabbed in the chest, possibly with a vibroblade.  Emme crossed the short distance to him, crouching and studying the man. Human, he looked to have been about in his mid to late 30s, with hair that was neither light nor dark and skin that seemed too pale for him to have ever spent much of his life outside.  Behind her, Branok stepped over one of the dead man’s outstretched legs to enter the cockpit. She rose after studying the corpse for another few seconds, following him through the doorway.

The corpse inside was also human, but female.  She looked slightly younger than the man. Dark hair in tight curls fell over bloodstained dark skin.

There was still a blaster in her hand.

Emme swallowed, glancing at Branok as he knelt by the console to study the scoring on it.  “ _Pirusti?  Meg narir gar mirdir?_ ”  The man finally glanced back at her, shrugging.

“ _Da’iyav.  Me’sen jivaor asas bic’a cuyir hokaanir._ ”  
Branok had barely finished speaking when there was a thump from somewhere behind them.  Emme glanced at him and they nodded in unison, understanding reached even through the opaqueness of their visors.  She led first, stepping back over the woman’s body and exiting the cockpit as he followed. They walked back through the ship, waiting for another noise.

It came from a panel in the wall nearby, a panel that simply looked like a misshapen sheet of durasteel.  Emme nodded to it, drawing a blaster and stepping toward it. She waited until Branok had drawn his and nodded before she pried it open, cocking the blaster and instantly pointing it into the gap.

There was rustling and a small whimper.  She moved to an angle from which she could see the inside of the gap, turning her gauntlet’s scopelight on.

A chill rose along the back of her neck.

A small boy huddled in the cavity, whimpering quietly and shaking as he stared at the Mandalorian.  His hair was in dark curls that stuck to his tawny forehead with sweat. He didn’t look to be older than three, but his hands were still soaked in blood.  The boy himself didn't seem injured, however, just shaken.

If the man outside had been his father….

Emme turned to Branok.  “ _Tion’jor cuyir’va kaysh kyrayc ra hiibir?_ ”

Branok shrugged, eyes lingering on the youngling.  “ _Ret val liser’va mar’eyir kaysh._ ”

The boy mumbled something unintelligible and Emme glanced back at him.  He didn’t repeat it, only stared blankly at her as he trembled. She crouched next to him.  “ _Tion gar gai?_ ” she asked quietly.  He didn’t react and she swallowed, trying again in Basic.  “What’s your name?” There was a faint glimmer of recognition in his gaze this time.  “You understand Basic?”

He nodded hesitantly.

“What’s your name, then?” she repeated.  He still didn’t speak and she sighed, glancing back up at Branok.

“ _Ret buy’ce.  Kebbur te’habir’be bic,_ ” he suggested.  She nodded, removing the helmet and shaking her shoulder-length hair loose before looking back to the boy.

“What’s your name?”  No response, but the boy looked slightly more at ease.  She sighed. “What about your family? Was that your mother and father we saw in the cockpit?”

He nodded slowly before bursting into tears.  Emme rocked back onto her heels as the boy rushed forward to embrace her.  She stroked his hair, murmuring nonsense words to him while shooting Branok a glare at his chuckle.

“It’s okay, _adiik._  It’ll be okay.  Shh….” Finally she pulled back, holding him at arm’s length.  “Do you have any more family?”

He hesitated, starting to nod before shaking his head and pointing to the blood on the floor.  She nodded in understanding.

“They were killed, too?”  He nodded, sniffing and wiping at his nose.  “It’s okay. You...you can come with my friend and me.  We’ll take you with us. We’ll take you _yaim._ ”

He nodded, sniffing again, and she turned to Branok.  “ _Gar liser juha ashi’e jii._ ”  The man nodded, stepping back and speaking quietly into his commlink as Emme turned her attention back to the youngling.

“I’m Emme.  He’s Branok; I’ll introduce you to the others once they get here.  But first, we have to take care of something.” The boy nodded slowly, his expression morphing into one of confusion as Emme kneeled.  “ _Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad._  There.  It’s official.”  Branok turned, eyes wide.

“ _Gar_ kir’manir _kaysh?!_ ”

She nodded, glancing up at him as she stood and picked up her helmet.  The boy grasped for her free hand and she smiled down at him. “ _Bid?  Kaysh aliit’a kyrayc.  Kaysh’a solus. Bal kaysh’a evaar’la, su adiik.  Kaysh linibar_ ash’ad.”

Branok sighed, shaking his head.  " _Ashi’e johayc val’cuyir bat val jupr._ ”

Emme nodded.  “ _Tayli’bac._ ”  She smiled down at the youngling again.  “Since you won’t tell me your name...what about Doran?  What do you think of that?”

The boy smiled again and nodded vigorously as she replaced her helmet, stooping to pick him up.  “ _Jate._  Doran it is then.”

She only hoped that she wouldn’t regret bringing the boy back to the mess that was currently Concordia.

**Author's Note:**

> The title translates to "home," by the way.
> 
> Mando'a Translations  
> (I tried my best and some of them are a bit rough I apologize. They're in the order they appear but single words aren't translated, as I think they don't hinder your understanding of the story much.
> 
> Well? What do you think?  
> Pirates. Ship looks like it’s been sliced.  
> Why wasn’t he killed or taken?  
> Maybe they couldn’t find him.  
> What’s your name?  
> Maybe the helmet. Try removing it.  
> You can comm the others now.  
> I know your name as my child. (The Mandalorian adoption vow)  
> You adopted him?!  
> So? His family’s dead. He’s alone. And he’s young, still a child. He needs someone.  
> The others said they’re on their way.


End file.
